Blaenau Gwent

The religious profile of Blaenau Gwent changed substantially in the decade leading up to the most recent census. At the same time there were changes in housing tenure, relationships and marriage.

The population changed very little

In the 10 years leading up to the latest census, the population of Blaenau Gwent remained close to 69,800.

The loss of just under 300 people means this area's population was the most rapidly-declining in Wales, while Blaenau Gwent remained the third-least populous local authority area in the country.

In 2011, Blaenau Gwent was home to, on average, 4.6 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across Wales

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Wales, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Blaenau Gwent

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Blaenau Gwent increased by three years, from 38 to 41 years.

This industrial area had a slightly higher average age than Merthyr Tydfil (one of the most statistically similar areas to Blaenau Gwent based on ONS area classifications) (40 years of age) and had a similar age to the average local authority area across Wales (41 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of about 1,900 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just over 2,000.

About 15% of people in Blaenau Gwent are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Fall in proportion of Welsh speakers

The proportion of Welsh speakers in Blaenau Gwent fell from 9.1% to 7.9% in the 10 years leading up to Census 2011.

There are 857 fewer people living here who spoke Welsh compared with 2001, while the number of people who did not spoke Welsh increased by 410.

In Caerphilly (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Blaenau Gwent), 11% of people over the age of three could speak some Welsh, similar to the 2001 figure. Across Wales, the proportion fell from 21% to 19%.

The proportion of people who could speak Welsh was lower than across Wales

Percentage of people aged three and over that said they could speak Welsh across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Religion in Blaenau Gwent

The number of people in Blaenau Gwent that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 18,000 in 2001 to about 29,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 25% to 41% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across Wales (from 19% to 32%).

The number of people in Blaenau Gwent that described themselves as Christian decreased from just under 45,000 in 2001 to about 35,000 in 2011 (from 64% to 50%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation decreased from just over 7,000 to about 5,700 (from 10% to 8.1%).

About 250 people (0.2%) said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism, up from just over 160 in 2001 (0.4%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Blaenau Gwent increased by 16 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Fall in social renting

Blaenau Gwent saw Wales' largest fall in the proportion of socially rented homes.

In 2011, just under one in four (24%) households in Blaenau Gwent lived in social housing, compared with 29% in 2001. The percentage of privately rented homes increased from 6.8% to 13%.

Denbighshire saw Wales' next largest rise in the proportion of socially rented homes (from 13% to 13%).

The rate of social housing in Blaenau Gwent decreased by 4.8 percentage points

Percentage of households in Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Wales that rented socially, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

Blaenau Gwent saw Wales' second-largest rise in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple.

During this period, Blaenau Gwent overtook 11 local authority areas, including Cardiff and Flintshire, to become the Wales local authority area with the fifth-highest percentage of cohabiting households.

In 2011, just over 1 in 10 (10%) households in Blaenau Gwent had an unmarried couple, compared with 7.1% in 2001. The percentage of households comprising just one person increased from 30% to 32%.

Wales' largest increase in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple occurred in Merthyr Tydfil (from 6.4% to 11%).

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Blaenau Gwent increased by 3.2 percentage points

Percentage of households in Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Wales that had an unmarried couple, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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